


Child is Slowly Taken

by Innocentfighter



Series: Safe and Sound [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Batfamily Feels, Bombing, Brotherly Bonding, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Crying, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Gun Violence, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd is Dead, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason Todd is a good brother, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Tim Drake POV, Tim Drake is Robin, batfamily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 01:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15719583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innocentfighter/pseuds/Innocentfighter
Summary: Tim wants to be Robin, but he didn't want to earn the mantle like this.





	Child is Slowly Taken

**Author's Note:**

> Hah, this is supposed to be the good and healthy and loving batfamily AU we all adore, so what do I do? Back to back Jason Todd death stuff. Oops *vague shrugging*. The next three or four (?) installments are also going to be about this. But they'll probably be chapters added onto this. I haven't decided, maybe not because I kind of like the idea of this being a standalone and then the others get their own chapters in the following fic. Erh enough rambling, please read on!  
> The title is from Zombie by the Cranberries, but the cover by Bad Wolf is what fits the mood better I think.

“I’d ask you why you were lurking on the rooftop, but that’s kind of a normal thing in this family,” Jason says as he walks out onto the balcony.

Tim smiles weakly at the joke but makes no other move to detangle himself. He sees Jason frown before he starts to climb up. Jason sports a split lip and there’s a faint bruise on his jaw. Batman and Robin returned early, and Tim wonders if it’s because Jason got hit or if it was a light night. Bruce has been weird about them since Dick and he fought, and Jason’s been biting at the bit to get more independence during patrols.

He wants to spend more time in the Batcave, but he isn’t sure he could win that argument with Bruce and Alfred. His arguments to help are good, Barbara is starting her first year of college and Alfred is good but not as good as Tim knows he can be.

“What’s on your mind?” Jason settles next to him.

Tim shrugs, he’s not sure Jason is the one he wants or should talk to. Jason nudges him gently, it’s familiar enough that Tim unwinds slightly.

“I want to help out more.”

Jason snorts, “you want more chores? I know you’re a dork but this is too much even for you.”

“No, with Batman and Robin,” Tim mumbles.

“Like you want to go out on patrol?”

Tim glances at Jason, there’s a line of tension in his jaw. He hopes its self-reflection and not a reaction to his idea, “eventually.”

Jason is quiet for several minutes and then he speaks again, “what do you want to do now?”

“Tech support,” Tim replies, “Barbara is going off to college and Alfred has to worry about running the manor and medical and everything else-”

“Whoa there,” Jason raises his hands, “you don’t have to convince me of anything, I was only curious.”

Tim raises an eyebrow.

Jason sighs and rests his arms on his knees, “I get it. I wanted to go out there so bad, but Dick had been Robin for almost three years before I even came into the picture and there’s only a year between us.”

He wonders where this is going, he’d been there when Dick passed over the mantle of Robin a year ago. Although, it was less of a peaceful transition and more of Jason taking the mantle because Batman needs a Robin. It hadn’t gone over well with Dick, and Tim doubts that they’ve barely spoken since then.

“Let’s make a deal,” Jason continues to speak, “I’ll pass the mantle to you when I’m seventeen. That gives you two years.”

Tim blinks, “but being Robin means everything!”

Jason nods, “yeah, but I don’t want it to be all I’ve ever been.”

Tim stares at Jason. For the first time, he sees what he thinks Bruce saw when he took Jason in. It would have been so easy for Jason one to fall into the violence and anger he was born in, but he didn’t. Being Robin, it was good for him. Tim didn’t want to take that away from him, but this had been offered and it was still two years away. There was a lot that could change in that time frame.

“Deal.”

Jason stands and ruffles his hair, “great, now we should get to bed. Tomorrow is Sunday and I want to eat all of Alfred’s crepes before Dick and Bruce wake up.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Tim tilts his head.

“You’re going to help me.”

Tim frowns, “why?”

Jason rolls his eyes in that exaggerated way of his, “because it’s a rite of passage to being Robin.”

“It isn’t,” Tim scrunches up his face.

“It is now.”

Tim laughs and follows Jason back to the balcony. Jason waits until he’s safe on the landing before speaking again.

“You know you can come to me to talk about anything right? I mean, I know I wasn’t exactly welcoming when you came to the manor,” Jason rubs the back of his neck, “but we’re family, and I want to be there for you when you need me and even when you don’t.”

“Jay,” Tim swallows thickly, it’s the acceptance he didn’t know he needed, “thank you.”

“Don’t have to thank me, Timmers.”

They head back into their manors and into separate rooms.

* * *

The first sign something is wrong is when Nightwing’s and Batman’s cameras cut out. Tim frowns and types for several seconds. A news anchor on one of the side monitors holds her hand to an earpiece and nods.

“Reports are coming in that Harley Quinn has set off an EMP device near the site of the bombing.”

Robin had been pursuing one of the bombers on Batman’s orders, so his camera was still functional.

“Robin, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” Robin reports, “what’s up T?”

Tim breathes a sigh of relief, “Harley set off an EMP, Nightwing and Batman were in the area affected.”

“Great, so we’re flying blind,” Robin jumps from a building and slams into the bomber.

“Do you have eyes on anything?”

“No, the news crews have to send in new teams and ninety percent of the police force was already there and the rest are trying to keep order in the city.”

Jason huffs, “ah, law and order in Gotham.”

“You know crime has gone down since Batman appeared,” Tim frowned, something had moved in the corner of Jason’s camera. “Hey, I think you’ve been made.”

“By who?”

“Rooftop at your two o’clock. ” Tim pulls the video up on a second screen. It’s grainy and dark, the rain doesn’t help with the quality.

There was definitely someone in the corner. He ran editing software over the frame. Meanwhile, Jason slowly turned in that direction. The figure wasn’t present now.

“I’m going to pursue.”

“Be careful,” Tim replies.

He’s praying that it’s just another excited citizen to catch a glimpse of Robin. The software pings and the face isn’t clear but the color has improved enough that Tim can make out a color scheme of green and purple.

“Robin!” He shouts despite himself, “do not pursue! Do not engage!”

Jason has already secured a grapple to the roof and is flying towards it. Tim stands up at the sight of the man on top of the roof. As he feared, Joker was leaning on a cane, looking distinctly bored.

“Shit,” Jason curses.

Tim watches in vague horror as Joker straightens and twirls the cane.

“Ah, it’s the bird that flew nest,” Joker cackles, “no, that’s the older one. You’re the broken bird.”

Tim tightens his fists until his knuckles are white. There must be some way to get Batman’s attention. He swallows as the memories of Jason’s bones breaking under the weight of a crowbar threaten to overwhelm him.

_Batgirl!_ Barbara had become more of a solo act after Bruce threatened to tell her dad after she was reckless one night. It had been unfair of Bruce, but as usual, he never apologized and so Barbara stayed away. She might not be speaking to Bruce, but she still had to care for Jason.

She was his only hope.

Tim leaps towards the phone and pressed the number to speed dial.

“What?” Barbara snaps, she sounds stressed but not angry.

“You weren’t in the blast radius,” Tim breathes, “you have to get Batman, Robin is- Joker’s there. You have to tell him.”

“Slow down,” Barbara says gently, “explain.”

“EMP burst fried the comms, except Robin’s he was too far away. He was chasing one of the bombers, but now the Joker is there and he’s alone.”

Tim keeps his eyes on the scene in front of him. So far it’s mostly Joker rambling about putting on a show and something about unfinished business. There’s no obvious threat and that makes this worse.

“I’m five minutes from Batman’s location, patch me into the comms.”

He does that quickly, “you’re in.”

“T?” Jason whispers.

“Batgirl en route to Batman, try to get out of there,” Tim replies, “your grapple should be long enough to get to the building across the street, if not you can lose him in the alleys.”

Joker stops his monologue, “oh? Whose watching?”

“No one,” Tim hears the scowl in Jason’s voice, “you’re just boring me.”

“Well, I can’t have that,” Joker twirls the cane, “I have a reputation to uphold.”

The gun seems to materialize in his hand. Tim gasps audibly.

“T?” Batgirl asks.

“He’s got a gun,” Tim answers, “Joker, not Robin.”

There’s a weird noise from Batgirl, “eta two minutes.”

He knows Jason can hear the conversation. Tim glances back to the case where Dick’s old Robin costume hangs in silent memoriam. Batman even at his fastest is still twelve minutes away.

Joker cackles like this is a private joke, “I say I have a reputation, but well, I’ll make an exception.”

Tim presses the button that will summon Alfred from wherever he currently is. He glances back to the case and bites his lip.

Jason takes a back step towards the edge of the roof. On the other screen, Tim can see Barbara approaching Ground Zero. Alfred appears from deep in the medical wing. The Robin costume seems to taunt him.

“What is the matter?” Alfred says calmly.

Tim gestures helplessly. Alfred knows the majority of what’s going on, he probably was on his way to the monitor in the first place. Joker waves the gun in Jason’s direction.

“Take over,” Tim squares his shoulders.

Alfred looks bewildered and Tim bolts towards the Robin case. It unlocks. He can still hear Joker’s taunts in the background as he dresses.

Tim _knows_ he shouldn’t be doing this. Jason is still Robin at least for another couple of months, but he also _knows_ that he can’t just sit back and hope they reach him in time. Jason says he’s ready, so Tim has to believe that he is. The Robin uniform is too big and sags in weird ways but it’s the best he’s got.

“Long story short, you’re a failed plan,” Joker’s voice suddenly pitches low, “I tried to make you better. I tried to make you give in to that anger that you Bats so desperately smother.”

Tim doesn’t hesitate as he starts one of the cycles. He prays that he’ll make it in time.

“Batman!” Batgirl’s voice rings over the comms, “Robin is in trouble!”

Jason snorts, “so what, you're going to beat me until I beg you to stop and do whatever you want? Newsflash, we’ve tried that already, I have the scars to prove it.”

“Don’t taunt him,” Tim hisses over the comm.

“No,” Joker clicks his tongue, “someone once said that doing the same thing over and expecting different results is insanity. I just hate leaving thing unresolved.”

“You? Not doing something insane?” Jason says, “what a concept.”

“Watch your mouth, birdbrain.”

_That_ voice was dangerous. Tim pushed the cycle even faster, he would be there within six minutes at his current rate of speed. He wanted to go faster, but it would be worse if he lost control of the bike. Jason would be able to stall Joker long enough, he’s not the talker Dick is but Jason _can_ talk.

“I just thought you had a reputation,” Jason snarks.

There’s an audible growl from Joker, “I do.”

Tim holds his breath but nothing happens for a second.

“People don’t get to walk away from me and tell stories.”

The gun goes off and the breath leaves Tim’s lungs as if he had been the one shot. He throws caution to the wind and speeds up.

“What was that?” Batgirl’s voice is high-pitched.

Tim doesn’t answer her. The bike is practically horizontal as he takes a corner. He can faintly make out wet breathing from Jason. There’s no talk, which worries him.

“Gutter trash should die where it was born,” Joker growls.

As he turns the last corner Tim can faintly make out Jason and Joker standing on the roof, but then Jason isn’t on the roof and he’s falling to the alley. There’s another pop, and Tim can see the spray of blood from Jason’s descending body.

“NO!” The scream tears from his throat as he slams on the breaks of the bike.

“A third one?” Joker yells from the roof, “man the replacement rate of Robins is incredible.”

Tim ignores him, which is a mistake, but Jason is on the ground and not moving. He rushes towards the prone form. There is a rapid rise and fall of Jason’s chest, but Tim knows he’s not taking in enough air. One last maniacal laugh pierces the air. He spins towards it but Joker has already gone from the rooftop. He thinks about going after him, but Jason has somehow wrapped his hand around Tim’s ankle.

“D-nt,” Jason rasps and swallows, “wanna be ‘lone.”

Tim drops to his knees, “you won’t be. I’m here. B is on his way, probably Batgirl and Nightwing too.”

Jason’s head drops to the side, “m’ mas’.”

“What about it?” Tim's eyes scan frantically for the bullet wounds.

“Tak’ it off.”

“What?” Tim finally finds one of them, it’s off center which means it didn’t hit the heart, but it probably hit the lung.

Jason’s lips turn downwards and he opens his mouth but only blood dribbles out. Tim’s head whips down to Jason’s stomach, the red is darkening and Tim feels his heart sink. Both of these wounds were fatal on their own. He raises a shaky hand to Jason’s face once he gets himself under control. The mask comes off easily leaving only a little redness behind.

“Better,” Jason sighs, “didn’ wanna die wi’h a mas’ on.”

Tim shakes his head, “you won’t die. You can’t.”

Jason smiles, but it falls short of comforting for Tim. His lips and teeth are stained red and he’s too weak to keep it up for long.

“Mm, we’ll see,” Jason slurs, “guess you’re going to be Robin a little early.”

_No. God no._ He wanted to be Robin, there was a calendar in his room that was numbered with the days until Jason officially stepped down. Tim wanted to be Robin, but not like this. Never like this. It wasn’t worth the price.

“Jay, no,” he knows he sobbing, “I can’t be Robin like this.”

Jason shakes his head but his voice is stronger now, “you’re ready. Was jus’ holdin’ on cause I was scared of not bein’ Robin.”

Tim bent over his brother’s chest holding all of his weight on a singular wound. In the distance, he can hear Batgirl’s frantic questions and tires squealing.

“B is almost here,” Tim mumbles, “hold on.”

Jason’s chest shutters and one hand fumbles clumsily towards his face, but he can’t hold it up and it drops before it even touches Tim’s face. He grabs it, the pressure he holds lessens on the chest and more blood oozes up from the wound. Jason wants comfort and Tim wants nothing more than to provide it. The hand is cold against his cheeks. A thumb swipes across the bridge, wetness follows in its trail. He glances at Jason’s face and sees that there are tears racing from the corner of his eyes.

“You wear it well,” Tim doesn’t know if that was an order or a compliment, “keep it to..gether for everyone.”

Tim sobs harder.

Jason’s chest stills.

He instantly drops the hand and starts chest compressions. It won’t do anything, he knows that on a logical level, but he’s staring at his big brother’s face that was covered in blood and tears and paler than it has any right to being. This was no place for a Robin to die. Jason Todd had so much to live for.

A hand touches his shoulder and Tim turns around, Jason’s body completely behind him. It’s Nightwing, but the hand is forgotten as he stares at Jason…’s body. Nightwing collapses it’s the least graceful thing Tim’s ever seen him do. Batman is rushing towards them but Tim’s attention is drawn back to Jason’s face. It’s peaceful, unlike the faces of his parents when he died. Tim doesn’t understand how such a violent death could leave a person with such peace.

He’s pulled into Nightwing’s arms. Tim doesn’t fight the hug, because he can still see Jason’s face and that’s all he cares about. In case there is a miracle. Batman slides to a stop next to Jason, except Tim can tell that the Batman persona is long forgotten. The cowl is pushed back and the grief is clear.

Bruce slowly, gently, puts his arms under Jason’s back and then he pulls Jason into an embrace. Tim watches as Bruce pieces everything together and then Jason is being crushed to Bruce’s chest. It’s a tighter hug than Jason’s ever gotten, even after the first Joker encounter. At this moment, Tim understands why Jason wanted _someone_ to kill the clown. That maniac has taken too much from too many people. Except killing the clown would ruin the image of Robin and Jason told him to wear it well.

He’s not sure how long it is before Bruce adjusts his grip and pick’s Jason up like he weighs nothing. Tim knows for a fact that Jason is extremely heavy, he’s had that weight lay against him when ‘gravity suddenly got stronger.’ He sobs harder at the memory. That won’t happen again, he won’t ever hear Jason’s jokes again even though he’s said them so many times. There won’t be any more races to eat all the crepes even though Alfred always makes enough for everyone. They won’t have a chance to ambush Damian with another prank.

_Damian. We have to tell him. Oh god._ He turns into Dick’s chest. The hug has fallen limp, and Tim glances up to see that Dick is staring at the far wall. Barbara hovers at the edge of the scene, she wants to join them but she isn’t sure she’s welcome. Tim wants to tell her that she is, but he can’t find the words. It's too much effort.

When Bruce takes the first towards the Batmobile the spell is broken. Dick shakes himself out of wherever he went, and Tim can steady himself enough to stand. He wipes at his face, and his hands are sticky. Tim’s throwing up before he can stop himself because his hands are covered in Jason’s blood.

He wasn’t fast enough. The first time he wears the costume and he fails to save one of the most important people in his life. Dick’s hand is steady on his back, but there’s no comforting rubbing, it’s like all the energy that Dick usually has, is gone. Once Tim calms down he looks back at Dick. For once the domino covers too much, he wants to know that things are going to be fine. They won’t be, but being lied to just this once wouldn’t be completely awful.

Somehow, he manages to pull himself together and hold himself together until they reach the cave. Alfred knows what happened, but he still ushers Bruce to the medical bay. Tim isn’t entirely sure that Bruce has let Jason go since he dropped next to his son’s side. He has no room to talk he knows, he’s kept his eyes on Jason’s face every moment that he’s able because he’s still waiting for a sign that this isn’t the end.

Dick stumbles out of the Batmobile last and then slides to the ground. The domino is tossed to the side and his head gets cradled in his hands. Tim is torn between going to Jason’s side and staying by Dick. Barbara crouches next to Dick, she places a hand on his shoulder but retracts it; if Tim hadn’t been paying that much attention then he wouldn’t have noticed the small shrug Dick gave. He couldn’t make someone take comfort they didn’t want.

There’s a small flash of movement and Tim turns towards it. Damian is sleepily walking down the steps, but the drowsiness is quickly wearing off. Tim doesn’t know how Damian knows they’re back and it's easy to see that he’s picked up the distress in the air.

Alfred and Bruce were in medical, Tim couldn’t even begin to guess at what they were doing. Dick looks as though he won’t be moving for several hours. Barbara and Damian never got along. Not that he and Damian were the best of friends. Tim glances around and then steps towards his little brother. Damian scowls as he approaches, but there’s no heat in it. There’s concern present in his eyes.

“What’s happened to Todd?”

Tim bends down, he doesn’t reach out because Damian would probably attack him if he did. The words stick in his throat, no one’s said it yet. Saying it would make it real, and he doesn’t think anyone is prepared for that except Damian has to know, he is family. It won’t be any less true later and it’ll always hurt.

“Jason is-” Tim swallows.

“How badly did he get hurt? You’re acting as if he died.”

Tim flinches at the word. Damian’s eyes narrow before they widen, in seconds he’s bolting towards the medical wing. Its only thanks to Tim’s training that he’s able to catch the kid before he gets too far away. He holds on despite Damian’s wrenching of his arm as he struggles to get to Jason.

“It cannot be true,” Damian protests, “this is some practical joke you and Todd conjured.”

“Damian,” Tim says sternly, “listen to me. We would never joke about that.”

That stops Damian’s protest as he stares at Tim’s face. The stare is unnerving in its intensity. Slowly Damian drops his arm but there’s still a spark of fight in his eyes. He’s angry, Tim has seen it enough to know, but there’s a glassiness to his eyes that usually isn’t there. Tim releases Damian’s arm and winces in sympathy when he realizes that he held tight enough to leave red marks. It wouldn’t bruise but they didn’t need to be fighting tonight of all nights.

“What,” Damian pauses, “who did this?”

“Damian,” Tim warns.

“Who killed him?” Damian growls and then he lashes out with his fist faster than Tim could react to, “who killed my brother?”

The punch hits Tim directly in the nose, for once there isn’t enough force behind it to cause any serious damage but Tim’s eyes still water. Then he realizes what Damian said, it might be the first time Damian’s said it aloud. Tim hates that it took something like this to get him to admit it.

“It was Joker,” Tim answers, “a lot of things went wrong. There was nothing we could do.”

Damian’s face seems to turn to stone, “there’s always something that could be done.”

He doesn’t want to argue about this. Damian has been trained to kill, taught that it’s a tool, Jason had always thought that some people were better off dead for the greater good. Tonight, there was no reason for the argument. Tim agreed that he wanted revenge on the Joker, but he wasn’t sure how far he could go.

Suddenly Damian sags like a puppet with its strings cut. Tim catches him more out of surprise than anything. He can feel the tenseness run up Damian’s spine, there’s a mild tremor slight enough to be written off as a shiver from a draft. This is the most Tim has seen Damian lose his composure.

“Why?” Damian whispers, “why us?”

Tim isn’t sure what Damian is asking. Why did they lose so much? Why did they have to be the ones in the crusade? Why did they have to become a family only to have it shattered a few months later? He doesn’t have any answers to those questions. The universe has always been cruel to the House of Wayne, Tim thinks.

“I wish I knew,” Tim answers instead.

Damian shakes his head. Tim holds him tighter and pretends to not notice the tiny frame in his arms as it shudders with tears. In the distance, he can hear things breaking and Dick’s heaving breaths. He wonders if this is what Jason meant when he had to keep it together.

Tim swears he’ll be the best damn Robin he can be and a better brother to both Dick and Damian.

**Author's Note:**

> My endings lately have been rather abrupt. A true travesty. Anyway, as always leave your thoughts below and constructive criticism (nicely said) is welcome!  
> Additionally, does anyone have any particular things they want to see in this AU? I may or may not write it, but I have major events picked out for each of the boys and most of the girls, mostly based off of canon. Eventually fluff and family will come. But until then, JT angst.  
> Later!


End file.
